Macy’s Grilling Guru Competition hits Charlotte

Macy’sGreat American Grilling Guru Competition stopped into Charlotte last week, and I had the opportunity to watch the gurus get their grill on, onstage at Macy’s in South Park.

HERE’S THE SCOOP: The competition launched back in April, and contestants had until May 3rd to submit their recipes. On June 7th, 18 semi-finalists competed in Sizzle Showdowns at six locations across the country, judged by Macy’s Culinary Council Chefs, including Cat Cora and Stephanie Izard. The winner of each semi-final showdown gets to compete in the finale in New York City on June 28th, and the finale winner gets $10,000 plus a trip to New York City to watch the 2015 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks. Awesome, right?

At the competition, I was shocked by the contestants’ calm demeanor onstage. I expected a mad dash, but each contestant confidently worked through their recipes and finished early, submitting their final plates to Chef Cat Cora for judging.

The competing recipes were:

Sherri’s Grilled Thai Lamb Loin Chops

Josee’s Shrimp & Apricot Stuffed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Andre’s Steak & Potato Sliders with Basil Gorgonzola Cream

Sherri’s Thai Lamb Chops were the big winner– for the flavor and the overall cohesiveness of the dish (she actually prepared a 3-component plate). The crowd didn’t get to try the contestant submissions, BUT we did get cookbooks featuring their recipes AND we sampled Cat Cora’s Chimichurri ‘Cued Chicken.

IamamemberoftheEverywhereSociety and Everywherehas provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.